Armies on the Move in Europe!

After Brian posted the SABG Top 50 list, there was renewed interest in playing Diplomacy by email amongst the SABG. Ben tried to get a game started at one site, only to find he was stuck being the GM. I volunteered to GM a game at a different site, and so six players from the SABG signed up. Because of the demands of the game, we had a hard time finding a seventh, but finally Scott's friend David joined us.

Here's the run down:

Austria (red): Scott
England (dark blue): Sean
France (light blue): Dennis
Germany (black): Ben
Italy (green): Jeff
Russia (white): Mark
Turkey (yellow): David

The first season (Spring 1901) saw much discussion amongst every country as nations attempted to find allies to protect against aggressors. Germany and France made Turkey feel like part of the SABG from the beginning, by suggesting an all out attack on his country. Russia suggested he was relocating to Cuba. People were accused of being instigators. The game had begun!

How will it end? Will there be a big show down of Germany vs England in 1914 all because a guy in Austria gave up on the assassination plot and decided to go get a sandwich? You can all follow along with the public information here, at game sabgtest. You can see the News, the Broadcasts, the Maps, and the Results. The private information will open up after the game is over (Do all the players know this? No?? Let the personal attacks continue!)


Baldrick: Permission to ask a question, sir...

Edmund: Permission granted, Baldrick, as long as isn't the one about where babies come from.

Baldrick: No, the thing is: The way I see it, these days there's a war on, right? and, ages ago, there wasn't a war on, right? So, there must have been a moment when there not being a war on went away, right? and there being a war on came along. So, what I want to know is: How did we get from the one case of affairs to the other case of affairs?

Edmund: Do you mean "How did the war start?"

Baldrick: Yeah.

George: The war started because of the vile Hun and his villainous empire-building.

Edmund: George, the British Empire at present covers a quarter of the globe, while the German Empire consists of a small sausage factory in Tanganyika. I hardly think that we can be entirely absolved of blame on the imperialistic front.

George: Oh, no, sir, absolutely not. (aside, to Baldick) Mad as a bicycle!

Baldrick: I heard that it started when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich 'cause he was hungry.

Edmund: I think you mean it started when the Archduke of Austro-Hungary got shot.

Baldrick: Nah, there was definitely an ostrich involved, sir.

Edmund: Well, possibly. But the real reason for the whole thing was that it was too much effort not to have a war.

George: By gum, this is interesting; I always loved history -- The Battle of Hastings, Henry VIII and his six knives, all that.

Edmund: You see, Baldrick, in order to prevent war in Europe, two superblocs developed: us, the French and the Russians on one side, and the Germans and Austro-Hungary on the other. The idea was to have two vast opposing armies, each acting as the other's deterrent. That way there could never be a war.

Baldrick: But this is a sort of a war, isn't it, sir?

Edmund: Yes, that's right. You see, there was a tiny flaw in the plan.

George: What was that, sir?

Edmund: It was bollocks.

Baldrick: So the poor old ostrich died for nothing.